"It's easy to believe in magic when you're young. Anything you couldn't explain was magic then. It didn't matter if it was science or a fairy tale. Electricity and elves were both infinitely mysterious and equally possible - elves probably more so." ~Charles de Lint

Pages

Friday, January 1, 2016

Book Review I AM SLEEPLESS: SIM 299 by Johan Twiss

From Goodreads:
The planet Ethos is at war with a savage enemy known as the Splicers. Their only successful defense is the Prime Initiative. All newborns with the compatible genes to become primes are taken from their families and injected with the Prime Stimulus. Those that survive the stimulus develop extraordinary abilities and are conscripted into the Ethos Army for training. But each ability comes with a defect.

After turning twelve, Aidan is moved to the upper-class at the Mount Fegorio training complex. But Aidan is different than the other primes. Not only does he have two abilities, but he has no defects, besides the fact he is unable to sleep. His special gifts allow him unprecedented success in the virtual training simulations, known as The Pit. Using his unique abilities, Aidan goes further than any prime in history by reaching the final simulation, sim 299. No one knows what lies after sim 299, not even Director Tuskin, the ruthless and reclusive ruler of their planet. But someone, or something, has been guiding Aidan there, waiting for him to complete sim 299. If he can pass the final tests, he may unlock the key to ending the Splicer War.

My Take:
Remember back in early November I promised a review of this book? Is a late review better than no review? So sorry this review was so long in coming. I actually read this book in only a few days. Since it's been over a month, my review will be a little generalized because of the passage of time. However, the most important thing I thought while reading this was this:

This is reminiscent of "Ender's Game" while being completely unique!

Yeah, I'll try to explain that thought. The theme of Sleepless is very similar to Ender's Game. Humanity has spread to several planets, and the current civilization has been shaped by a previous war. The military has spent a long time trying to ensure victory in case of another attack by the Splicers. Part of that process means testing children to find the limits of their intelligence and abilities. Aidan is the one the leaders have set their hopes on.

Here's where Twiss makes his story uniquely his own. Primes.
Primes are not human. They are genetically engineered to have special abilities like speed, strength, the ability to change their density, engineering (mechs), and puzzler mode. (You'll just have to read to get a full grasp on what I'm talking about here.

Twiss does a great job teaching you about his world without huge info dumps. He throws the reader in and lets you figure it out with little hints here and there. When things get complicated, he let's it be something new the cadets are learning about themselves so the reader doesn't get lost.

I LOVED the twist with the SIMS. And the secret behind Aidan's birth. :) I won't give away any spoilers here! However, I'll say this was a fun, fast, energetic and at times edge of your seat ride. I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes in book two of the series.

I give SLEEPLESS a solid 4 and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Ender's series. This promises to be just as riveting.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure